Selected Start-Ups (01/01)

In Vivo summarizes the technologies of several recently founded companies: Advanced BioChem Inc. provides contract protein biochemistry, immunoassay and proteomics services to companies developing pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics tests. Arradial Inc. aims to accelerate the discovery and validation of therapeutic compounds with a personal desktop laboratory microarray screening system created jointly by Boston University and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Spun out of Evotec BioSystems AG, Direvo Biotech AG will use its directed evolution platform to optimize biomolecules for industrial applications, as well as to develop proteins for novel therapeutics. Evacyte Microarray Diagnostics Corp.'s new cancer detection device, the Optical Stretcher, uses laser beams to stretch individual cells, enabling doctors to extract very small samples to determine if cancer cells are present. Palumed SA is developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of malaria and other infectious diseases. Using technology developed by its founders at the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center and in collaboration with Tripos Inc., Signase Inc. will develop small-molecule inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy directed at various types of solid tumors.

Address:4800 Research Forest Drive

The Woodlands, TX 77381

Phone:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

E-mail:[email protected]

Web Site:www.advancedbiochem.com

Advanced BioChem Inc.provides protein biochemistry, immunoassay and proteomics services to companies developing pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics tests. An affiliate of the Houston Advanced Research Center , ABChem offers a complete package of biochemical services to support its clients' needs from proof of concept through clinical trials. Ira L. Goldknopf, PhD, president of Forefront Investments, is ABChem's president; Helen R. Park is CEO.

Arradial Inc.

Address:71 Cummings Park

Woburn, MA 01801

Phone:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

Web Site:www.arradial.com

Arradial Inc. aims to accelerate the discovery and validation of therapeutic compounds with a personal desktop laboratory microarray screening system created jointly by Boston University and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. The LabPS will screen more than 100,000 nanoliter volume microassays per day using a miniaturized automated robotic instrument. Alexion will retain a minority share in Arradial, which is headed by co-founder P. Thomas Vogel, the former president of Fisher Scientific International Inc.

Direvo Biotech AG

Address:Gottingen, Germany

Phone:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

E-mail:[email protected]

Web Site:www.direvo.de

Spun out of Evotec BioSystems AG , Direvo Biotech AG will use its directed evolution platform to optimize biomolecules for industrial applications, as well as to develop proteins for novel therapeutics. The company's co-founders, including CEO Andre Koltermann, PhD, are from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry.

Evacyte Microarray Diagnostics Corp.

Address:The Reserve, Building 6, Suite 125

500 North Capital of Texas Highway

Austin, TX 78746

Phone:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

E-mail:[email protected]

Web Site:www.evacyte.com

Evacyte Microarray Diagnostics Corp. 's new cancer detection device, the Optical Stretcher,uses laser beams to stretch individual cells, enabling doctors to extract very small samples to determine if cancer cells are present. The company believes that its technology, licensed from the University of Texas, Austin, will be able to detect all forms of soft tissue cancer at a very early stage.

Palumed SA

Address:c/o Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS

Toulouse, France

Phone:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

E-mail:[email protected]

Palumed SA is developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of malaria and other infectious diseases. The company hopes that its orally active trioxaquine compounds will combat the resistance that has developed to chloroquine drugs currently used to treat malaria. Co-founder Bernard Meunier, PhD, is research director of the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS and member of the French Academy of Sciences.

Signase Inc.

Address:11711 Memorial, Number 522

Houston, TX 77024

Phone:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

E-mail:[email protected]

Using technology developed by its founders at the University of Texas ' MD Anderson Cancer Center and in collaboration with Tripos Inc. , Signase Inc. will develop small-molecule inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy directed at various types of solid tumors. Neil Douglas is CEO of the company, which was seeded by AM Pappas and Canada's BioCapital Investment LP.